The best new YA fiction for the October holidays
From a love story about of two rival climate campaigners to a graphic novel about a space-travelling janitor, there’s something for everyone in this autumn’s best YA releases, writes Rachel Gray
A gripping dark academia debut packed full of drama and intrigue, Immortal Consequences by IV Marie (Harper Collins, £16.99) is set in a boarding school on the edge of the afterlife. Wren knows the only way to escape Blackwood Academy is to be chosen for the Decennial, a sequence of high-stakes trials held once every ten years. Determined to win her freedom, she will stop at nothing to claim her prize. But what if her arch-rival (and secret crush) Augustine beats her to it? Wren and the cast of fellow competitors are compelling and keep you turning the pages right to the end.
Sticking with dark academia, A Murder of Rogues by Joe Heap (Scholastic, £8.99) is a murder-mystery set in and around Oxford University during the Regency era. Cascabel is a young woman who dreams of studying medicine, so disguises herself as a boy called Pom to gain admission. Once at Oxford, Pom finds himself trapped in a web of secrets and blackmail, his secret identity hanging by a thread. When the blackmailer is found murdered in his room, Pom is suddenly a prime suspect. To clear his name, he joins the enigmatic Rogues Club, a secret society within the University, and finds himself having to navigate his male and female identities with wit and charm. Cleverly blending cosy crime, queer romance and period drama, this is a vibrant and entertaining read, perfect for fans of Agency for Scandal and Lex Croucher.
Things aren’t always as they seem in iNSiDE by SA Gales (Faber & Faber, £8.99) - a dystopian sci-fi story perfect for fans of Scythe and Happyhead. Naya is comfortable living in the indoor city, where the population are safe from the climate outside, governed over by her mother the General and the police force, the NSDE. But when Naya is given a top-secret mission to infiltrate the enemy population who live outside the city, and secure her role in the NSDE, everything changes. As Naya ventures beyond the city’s walls, she begins to discover that the people there are not so different to herself, and that everything she thought she knew about her old life may be wrong. This is a smartly written novel which asks the reader to question everything they are shown, and is well set up for a sequel.
Vern, Custodian of the Universe by Tyrell Waiters (Flying Eye Books, £14.99) is a graphic novel packed full of humour, heart and high-stakes adventure. When the titular hero gets a job as a janitor in the local science facility, what seems at first to be another boring job with long hours quickly turns strange when he is confronted by a corridor full of galactic slime. Suddenly he is facing the destruction of the entire multiverse, armed only with his mop. Vern journeys through dimensions, meeting a range of unforgettable characters, and tries to answer some big questions along the way. This brilliant visual journey is insightful, funny, relatable and optimistic.
Lastly, we have Rebel Hearts by Tanya Byrne (Hachette Children’s Group, £9.99), an enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ+ novel set against the backdrop of the climate crisis. Ren and Pearl are climate campaigners from two different worlds - Ren is the leader of protest group Out of Time, while Pearl is a climate influencer who has millions of online followers. When fate pushes the two girls together, what follows is a summer filled with rivalry and romance. This is a fast-paced novel with a strong message about fighting for what you believe in. Ren and Pearl are vivid, authentic characters who beautifully capture the complexities of the queer teenage experience.
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.